Everything you need to know about SWIM.

SWIM is an AI native water stewardship platform. It maps water challenges, shows which organisations are active in each area, and connects the organisations funding water projects with the implementers delivering them on the ground. SWIM is where water projects are found and funded. Philo Exchange (PhiloX), our blockchain native platform, is where each funded project's impact is tracked and reported.

SWIM was developed by Philo, a water technology and impact group headquartered in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). Botanical Water Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Philo, saw first hand that the global water community and the funding of water projects are highly fragmented. Projects lack visibility, collective action is difficult to organise, and matching funders with implementers is inefficient. Philo created SWIM to address this and has made it free to join and use for the global water community, to accelerate impact and help combat the global water crisis.

SWIM is open to everyone working on water: corporate funders, foundations, development banks and governments; NGOs and project implementers; independent evaluators; water stewardship consultants; and researchers, universities and other organisations with an interest in water impact.

SWIM is water solution agnostic. It covers reduce, reuse, replenish and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) projects, delivered through both technology and nature based solutions. Listings include completed, active and potential projects, so funders can see both track record and what is ready to fund next.

They are two layers of one ecosystem. SWIM is the discovery and matching layer: it helps you find the right project in the right place before funding. PhiloX is the blockchain native delivery and verification layer. Once a project is funded, the funder can choose to bring it onto PhiloX, where smart contracts and real time impact reporting create an auditable, immutable record of reported delivery and impact data over time.

Risk and footprint tools help a company understand its own water exposure. SWIM helps organisations act on it by finding and funding credible projects in the basins that matter to them. The two work well together.

SWIM is designed to complement existing water stewardship platforms and initiatives, not replace them. Its focus is the step from understanding water challenges to acting on them. It shows on one map where the challenges are, who is already active and which projects are ready to fund, then connects funders directly with implementers. SWIM is solution agnostic and evaluator agnostic, and is not tied to any single technology, methodology or provider.

See your own sites alongside water stress and other risk layers, find projects in the basins that matter to you, and filter them by type, stage, volumetric benefit and cost. Flag your priority sites so implementers can see where you want action, and contact implementers directly through the platform.

Explore where water needs and risks are concentrated, which organisations are already active and which projects are ready to fund. This makes it easier to identify co funding opportunities and avoid duplicating effort.

Showcase your projects and Solutions to funders looking for opportunities in your regions, see which funders have sites and priorities near your work, and receive relevant funding enquiries. You can also use SWIM as your day to day project tracker.

Make your evaluation expertise visible to implementers and funders, including the geographies you cover and the types of projects you evaluate. Contact the SWIM team to discuss listing your services and evaluation opportunities. An evaluator marketplace for requesting and comparing proposals is in development.

SWIM is built to support your work, not replace it. We don't offer consulting services and we don't compete with consultants. We think of SWIM as service as a software: a service that supports your advice, rather than software that replaces it. SWIM brings maps, more than 100 data layers, a project marketplace and SWIM AI together in one place, so you spend less time gathering information and more time advising your clients. Use it to help clients understand water risk around their sites, identify credible projects in their priority basins and connect with implementers. It works alongside the tools and methods you already use, and clients can share restricted information with you directly on the platform. The aim is to accelerate your work so you can drive even more impact.

Explore more than 100 map and data layers alongside real project data, down to sub catchment level.

SWIM works with platforms, networks, industry groups and other intermediaries that connect water funders and implementers. We usually explore a partnership through a Joint Working Group, so both organisations can test the fit and agree what working together would look like before making any commitment. To start a conversation, contact the SWIM team.

A Joint Working Group is a small team from each organisation that explores a partnership over an agreed timeframe. It works through five phases:

1. Establish
2. Discover
3. Assess
4. Design
5. Recommend

At the end, both organisations decide whether to proceed and, if so, agree the next step, such as an MOU or commercial agreement.

Visit philox.io and click "Join SWIM". The request takes less than two minutes. The SWIM team reviews every request and, once approved, guides you through next steps, including a short onboarding call.

No. SWIM is free to join and use. There are no subscriptions, memberships or platform access fees. New users receive free SWIM AI credit to get started. If you would like to continue using SWIM AI after that, usage is charged to help cover the costs of running and hosting it.

To help protect the integrity of the platform. Reviewing requests reduces the risk of spam, fraudulent projects and non credible users. It cannot remove all risk, so we encourage every user to carry out their own due diligence before entering any agreement.

Yes, at no cost and with no limit on users. When you invite someone to your organisation, you choose their access level for your organisation's information. Owners manage organisation settings, members, roles, sharing and data. Editors create and manage the organisation's data, but not its settings or membership. Viewers can read information available to the organisation but cannot change data or settings. To share information with other organisations, such as your consultants, use Restricted sharing.

SWIM charges a one time success fee when a project is successfully funded through the platform. If nothing is funded, nothing is charged. Listing projects, browsing, using the maps and sending requests are all free.

The success fee is agreed case by case, based on the size and nature of the funding arrangement. Depending on the project, it may be paid by the funder or the implementer. The amount and who pays it are agreed in writing before funding is committed.

A project counts as funded through SWIM when a funding agreement follows a connection made on the platform. This covers both a funder and implementer meeting through SWIM and a funder finding the project on SWIM. Arrangements for jointly funded projects, and for later phases of a project, are agreed case by case.

Only in two cases. First, if you would like to continue using SWIM AI after your free starting credit, usage is charged to help cover the costs of running and hosting it. Second, if a funded project is brought onto PhiloX for ongoing tracking and reporting, PhiloX has a setup fee for the project infrastructure and integration, followed by an ongoing fee for monitoring, tracking and reporting the project over its lifecycle.

No. Funding agreements and payments are made directly between the project funder and the project implementer.

Green pins are organisation sites, such as facilities relevant to water stewardship. Grey pins show offices separately from organisation and project sites. Blue pins are water project sites. Purple pins are potential project sites linked to a solution. Each layer can be switched on or off. Some organisation sites are compiled from publicly available sources and are provided for information only. Inclusion on SWIM does not imply endorsement, participation or verification by the organisation unless expressly stated. Facility ownership, operation and location information may change over time.

More than 100 map and data layers covering water stress, water availability, water quality, groundwater, drinking water and sanitation access, basin boundaries, climate and geopolitical factors. Sources include the World Bank, WRI Aqueduct, WHO/UNICEF JMP, HydroBASINS and the WWF Water Risk Filter. Every layer links back to its original source and shows how current the data is. Layers are refreshed on a schedule as the source data is updated.

Yes. You can navigate HydroBASINS geographies from major river basins down to Level 7 sub catchments/watersheds, so every stakeholder can work from the same boundaries. Each sub catchment includes an AI summary of its main water challenges.

Three ways: browse the map around your sites or priority basins; search the Project Marketplace and filter by organisation, location, project type, stage, volumetric benefit, cost per cubic metre and cost per beneficiary; or ask SWIM AI. Filters for volumetric benefit and cost only apply where implementers have reported this data.

SWIM AI is the platform's built in assistant. It combines SWIM's project, organisation and map data with public research to answer questions such as which of your sites face the highest water risk, which projects best match your priorities, or what the biggest water challenges are in a given country. New users receive free SWIM AI credit to get started. If you would like to continue using SWIM AI after that, usage is charged to help cover the costs of running and hosting it. As with any AI tool, check outputs against the linked sources before relying on them.

Open the project or site and click "Request More Information". Select the relevant topic, add a short message and attach a supporting document if needed. For a project, choose "Funding or partnership" to discuss funding or collective action. Requests are reviewed by the SWIM team and then passed to the right organisation. This helps protect users from unsolicited approaches and keeps enquiries relevant.

SWIM shows funders and implementers active in a basin on the same map and boundaries, so organisations can see where their interests overlap. Funders can flag priority sites, and users can propose collective action in a "Request More Information" message. Funder led collective action requests are in development (see What's Coming).

Yes. Use SWIM Alerts to be notified when there is new activity in your areas of interest, and save your preferred map views to return to them quickly.

Yes. Funders can mark sites as high priority, which helps implementers and co located funders see where funders are seeking action.

Solutions are repeatable interventions an implementer offers to the market, such as rainwater harvesting, desalination or wastewater treatment, rather than a single project. Each solution shows where and at what scale it can be delivered, indicative cost and the funded projects it has already delivered.

SWIM is a project marketplace, not an equipment or product marketplace. Technology and equipment providers can list Solutions, provided they offer a project they can deploy and that can be funded, and they meet the same publishing requirements as every implementer. Standalone equipment, products and general consulting services are not listed.

Create projects one at a time, or use the Import tool to upload spreadsheets, PDFs, Word documents or case studies. SWIM AI maps the information into the right fields for you to review. Each project needs at least one site, and you can add photos, videos and documents such as evaluation reports or licences.

Organisations retain their rights to the project and organisation content they upload, subject to SWIM's terms of use. SWIM provides the platform for sharing it, using the visibility settings each organisation chooses.

No. To be qualified, an implementer must demonstrate at least one project funded or commissioned by a credible organisation that is independent of it (not the implementer itself or a related company), supported by evidence that SWIM can verify. Until then, the organisation can use every other part of SWIM and save projects in Draft, but cannot publish them. The same bar applies to every organisation, large or small, and Solutions must also be linked to at least one credibly funded project.

A credible organisation is an identifiable, legally recognised entity with verifiable operations, a legitimate source of funding, and a demonstrated capacity to fund, commission or deliver projects responsibly. This may include government agencies, utilities, established companies, registered charities, foundations, development banks and recognised international organisations. SWIM assesses credibility against four criteria:

1. Verified identity: legal name, registration or statutory status, and an authorised contact can be confirmed.
2. Genuine operations: evidence of active operations, relevant activities or a project track record.
3. Verifiable funding: its involvement in funding or commissioning the project can be supported by a contract, grant agreement, payment record or direct confirmation.
4. Acceptable integrity: no substantiated concerns that materially undermine its legitimacy or suitability.

Registration alone does not establish credibility.

Yes. Smaller or newer organisations can qualify where there is enough evidence to support their legitimacy and the funding of their project. Until then, you can join, explore the platform, connect with funders and established implementers, and prepare your projects in Draft.

Project and site estimates are reported by the organisation providing them unless an independent evaluation is shown. SWIM identifies recorded impacts that have been independently evaluated. A project showing an evaluated impact does not mean every target, estimate or claim on that project has been independently evaluated. Review the supporting evidence and the scope of the evaluation before relying on a figure. An evaluation does not guarantee future results, which still depend on how the project is delivered.

SWIM is evaluator agnostic. Implementers and funders choose their own qualified evaluator. Evaluators must meet the same credibility bar as implementers, with at least one credible past evaluation on record. Evaluations can be done before funding or periodically after a project goes live. Contact the SWIM team to discuss an evaluation request. Evaluators are responsible for their own findings; SWIM facilitates the process and displays the outcome.

No single standard is mandated, as SWIM is both solution agnostic and evaluator agnostic. Evaluators commonly apply Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) for volumetric benefits and Water Quality Benefit Accounting (WQBA) for water quality benefits. Not every project suits these methods, so WASH, ecosystem restoration and other projects may be evaluated using other recognised approaches. Real time delivery data for funded projects can be monitored through PhiloX.

Every project carries one or more of five stages: Planning, Funding, Implementing, Impacting and Completed. A project can sit in more than one stage, for example operating while raising funds to expand.

Each project shows when it was last updated, and the marketplace can be sorted newest first, so current projects rise to the top. Funders can use "Request More Information" to ask an implementer for an update. We are working with our users to make SWIM the place where organisations manage their project information, much like an intranet, instead of working out of spreadsheets and scattered files. You stay in control of privacy: information can be kept Private so only your organisation can see it, or shared when you are ready. We encourage implementers to update regularly and to use SWIM as their day to day project tracker. In special cases, we can look at building an API connection between SWIM and an organisation's own systems, so updates made internally are reflected on SWIM automatically. This is assessed case by case.

Review existing projects and sites before adding a new listing, including records listed by your funder or partners. Import checks flag duplicate project names within an upload for review. If you find listings that describe the same project at different scales or under different organisations, contact the SWIM team to agree how they should be represented. These checks do not replace a review of the underlying project information.

To give users a head start, SWIM preloads organisation sites from public sources, including company websites, sustainability reports and disclosures. Project data is uploaded by implementers themselves. Map layers come from recognised third party sources; SWIM does not produce its own map data. Publicly available site information does not mean that an organisation has joined SWIM or confirmed the record. Organisations can review their records when they join.

Yes. Once your organisation is onboarded, you take ownership of your sites. You can edit, reclassify or delete them, remove your logo, and make any or all sites private.

You control the visibility of your information. Information can be Public (visible to all SWIM users), Restricted (shared with organisations you select, such as your consultants) or Private (visible only to your organisation). Sharing controls are also available for individual fields. Check the visibility settings before saving or publishing information; do not assume that everything you add is private. Organisations can use SWIM privately as an internal project registry.

SWIM uses encrypted connections (HTTPS), authenticated access, organisation membership, user roles and sharing controls to protect information. Uploaded files and AI workspace storage use encryption at rest, and platform activity is logged. Security controls also include database backups, monitoring and network access restrictions. The SWIM team can provide further information about the controls relevant to your organisation.

SWIM's main application data and uploaded files are hosted in the AWS Asia Pacific (Sydney) region in Australia. Some supporting services, including AI model processing, run in the United States, so when you use SWIM AI, the information needed to answer each request is processed in the US.

Authorised SWIM administrators and service providers may access information where needed to operate, support, maintain and secure the platform. Organisation visibility settings govern access by other platform users; they do not prevent necessary administrative access. Contact the SWIM team if your organisation needs specific access arrangements.

You can upload documents in common formats, including Excel, Word, PDF and CSV. Files are uploaded through authenticated workflows and linked to your organisation. SWIM AI can help map their contents into platform fields for you to review before importing. Check the visibility and sharing settings for the resulting records before saving or publishing them.

SWIM AI uses the signed in user's organisation access and sharing permissions when retrieving platform information. Information needed to answer a request is sent to the configured AI services, so use your organisation's data policies when deciding what to include. Conversations and uploaded files are subject to platform access controls. Temporary stored AI workspace copies are configured to expire after 15 days; this does not delete the original uploaded files or saved conversation history.

SWIM AI uses platform tools to retrieve project, organisation and map records and can link answers to their sources. You review proposed changes before they are applied. AI can still make mistakes, and source information may be incomplete or out of date. Check outputs against the linked records and supporting evidence before relying on them.

Contact the SWIM team promptly if you suspect a security incident. Our incident response process follows the ADGM Data Protection Regulations 2021:

1. Contain: act straight away to contain the incident and preserve logs and evidence.
2. Assess: as quickly as possible, identify the information involved, the organisations and users affected, and the likely risk to them.
3. Notify affected organisations: notify each affected organisation's Owners and any nominated security contact without undue delay and within 72 hours of becoming aware of an incident affecting their data, even if the investigation is still underway.
4. Notify the regulator and individuals where required: where personal data is involved, notify the ADGM Commissioner of Data Protection without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours. Notify individuals without undue delay where the risk to them is high.
5. Keep you updated: provide regular updates during the investigation, followed by a written report covering the cause, impact and steps taken to prevent it happening again.

Notifications explain what happened and when, the information involved, the organisations and users affected, the steps we have taken, any recommended actions and a contact person.

Retention depends on the type of information. Database backups are kept for a rolling seven day period. Temporary stored AI workspace copies expire after 15 days. Searchable audit records are kept for 180 days, with archived audit records kept for approximately seven years. Uploaded files and organisation data are kept for the life of the account, until your organisation deletes them or asks us to. Organisations cannot yet set their own retention periods on the platform, but a specific retention limit can be agreed in writing and applied manually. Information is deleted when its retention period ends.

When your organisation closes its account or asks for its data to be deleted, that data is removed from the live platform within 30 days. Backup copies then expire within a further seven days, and we confirm the deletion in writing. Audit records follow their separate retention periods: 180 days for searchable records and approximately seven years for archived records. Contact the SWIM team to request account closure or data deletion.

Philo is registered in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The data protection requirements that apply depend on the information, the organisations involved and where processing takes place. See our Privacy Policy for how personal information is handled, and contact the SWIM team to discuss any requirements specific to your organisation.

Use the "Share Feedback" button in the side panel. You can attach a screenshot and highlight the area of the platform. Every piece of feedback is reviewed by the SWIM team and used to prioritise development.

Yes. New organisations are offered a 30 minute walkthrough, and our team can help set up your organisation, invite your members and load your projects.

1. Funder led collective action requests: one or more funders can specify a location, challenge and requirements, and invite implementers and co funders to respond.
2. An evaluator marketplace for requesting and comparing evaluation proposals.
3. Basin pages with local news and activity for each sub catchment.